Eduard Franck String Quartet and Piano Quintet

A disc that shows two sides to a consistently enjoyable and unjustly neglected composer
From the list of his works, Eduard Franck seems to have been mainly drawn to the major keys; there were two minor key symphonies that now appear to be lost but there is only a smattering of pieces in minor keys among the chamber works. This disc, then, offers an opportunity to view two different sides to this essentially genial and warm-hearted musician, combining as it does a string quartet in F minor with a piano quintet in the sunny key of D major.

There seems to be some debate over when the quartet was composed and it sounds like an early work, given the seemingly strong influence of Mendelssohn's quartets. It would perhaps be too much to describe it as relentlessly bleak or tragic in tone, but throughout its length only the tender, song-like `adagio molto espressivo' offers a period of consolation. In contrast to Franck's customary vivacious and folksy scherzi, the `menuetto' in this work maintains the serious tone of the piece overall. These two movements are preceded by an `allegro risoluto' of sustained and disciplined energy, its polyphonic working out (including a fugal section in the development) underlining the seriousness of Franck's intent from a technical perspective as well as an emotional standpoint. The finale brings no easy resolution and returns to the spirit of the first movement, with driving energy. It is a fine piece overall, more dramatic and concentrated than the elegiac piano trio in E minor recently released by Audite, Franck - Piano Trios Op.11, Op.58.

With the D major piano quintet we are in more familiar territory. Like so many of his chamber works, at around 37 minutes in length, this work has the expansive feel of a musician at one with his mode of expression and comfortable in taking his time saying what he has to say. The opening movement is one of Franck's most passionate - in the exposition, listen to the surging restatement of the opening melody in the high registers of the violin, before Franck moves on to the well-contrasted fanfare-like figure that forms the second subject; it leads after the exposition repeat to an ardently expressive development section. The scherzo (one of Franck's best, in my opinion) has an ebullient energy and picks up on the fanfare-like elements in the first movement, transmuting them into hunting horn signals - it is as exhilarating as it is delightful; the trio section opens with a stomping rhythmic figure that heralds an engaging rustic dance.

After the passionate first movement and the energy of the scherzo and trio, the tone of the extended `andante con moto' is perfectly judged. It opens with a long-breathed, hymn-like melody in the strings - answered, as if antiphonally in a cathedral, by the piano. There is a contrasting central section, but not one that makes its point dramatically and the beautifully poised tone of repose is maintained throughout the movement. It is good to have this opportunity to draw breath mentally, as the finale is a tour-de-force - a sort of `perpetuum mobile' in its general effect, though not without some sweet-toned contrasting episodes, it carries the work to its close with bubbling wit.

I probably don't need to say at this stage that I recommend this disc. I seem to have become something of a solitary advocate on the British Amazon site for this composer, but there are several reviews of Eduard Franck recordings on the US site that you can check should you require a second opinion on this - to my mind - unfailingly delightful and satisfying musician.

La firme Audite a entrepris de réhabiliter la musique d’Eduard Franck, romantique allemand qui fut l’élève particulier de Mendelssohn et qui jouissait de l’estime de Schumann. Son œuvre, très abondante mais en partie perdue, manifeste l’influence de son maître, illustrant l’esthétique de l’école de Leipzig. La violoniste Christiane Edinger figure parmi les maîtres d’œuvre de ces très généreux ensemble ; après le vaste Concerto n° 1 (cf n° 474, avec une autre symphonie), elle propose le second, marqué jusqu’au pastiche par celui de Beethoven, couplé avec une symphonie inspirée par Mendelssohn, notamment par l’« Italienne » ; belle lecture, malgré un orchestre sans brillant particulier, mais qui mérite la découverte. Franck a écrit un très vaste corpus de musique de chambre ; le Quatuor Edinger a gravé trois des quatre quatuors et le Quintette avec piano ; tout comme dans les deux sextuors, on trouve dans ces pages de coupe immuablement classique un style proche de la musique de chambre de Mendelssohn, ou fugitivement de Beethoven, plus que des partitions contemporaines de Brahms, Dvorak et Tschaikovski. Sans prétention novatrice, un bonheur mélodique incontestable, doublé d’une réelle élégance d’écriture innerve ces partitions. Le Quatuor Edinger, renforcé selon les œuvres, propose une lecture satisfaisante de ces premières mondiales, même si certains traits « mendelssohniens » de virtuosité apparaissent mal contrôlés, et si l’ensemble aurait gagné à plus de flamme – en particulier de dans les mouvements lents, parfois bien ternes ; néanmoins, il faut saluer une découverte intéressante, en conseillant de commencer par le disque qui réunir le Quatuor n°1 et le Quintette, à mon sens les deux partitions les plus convaincantes.

Les deux sonates pour violoncelle et piano sont de réelles réussites qui mettent en valeur le lyrisme flatteur de l’instrument, et qui mériteraient de revenir au répertoire ; l’éditeur leur associe celles de Richard Franck, fils d’Eduard et élève de Reinecke (lui-même successeur de Mendelssohn à Leipzig), également pianiste, compositeur et chef d’orchestre. Moins inspirées que celles de son père, elles n’en témoignent pas moins de la qualité « artisanale » du travail du fils Franck ; bonne idée d’avoir fait le lien par les Trois pièces, charmeuses et un peu salonnardes de Reinecke. Enfin, les deux trios avec piano de Richard sont également marqués par les influences de Mendelssohn, Schubert et Schumann, avec les mêmes écriture et invention mélodique que son père, quoique encore plus anachronique (1893 et 1900) ; les deux sonates pour violon et piano (1890 et 1903) sont tout autant charmeuses, illustrant avec bonheur la facture de cette « musique de salon » comme la baptisait avec condescendance Max Reger. Au demeurant, bien défendues par les musiciens réunis pour ces disques, ces pages inédites ne manquent pas d’attrait et justifient qu’on sorte des sentiers battus pour aller à leur rencontre.

Audite have rescued the music of Breslau-born composer Eduard Franck from oblivion. At the invitation of Ferdinand Hiller, Franck became one of the eminent lights of Cologne's musical life. Hiller rejuvenated the cathedral city's music with other figures too, Theodor Pixis and Carl Reinecke amongst them. Franck, a pupil of Mendelssohn, was lured to the city from Berlin. Franck conducted the choral society. His own works were included in the Concert Society's programmes.


The String Quartet in F minor Op. 49 is Mozartian but infused with a more modern Mendelssohnian sensibility. It has a swimmy sense of flow with fugal activity (4.48 in I) and something of the Viennese flâneur in the last two (of four) movements. The Adagio Molto Espressivo has the Olympian calm of the Schubert String Quintet. The Piano Quintet has the tempestuous nature of the first Brahms Piano Concerto offset somewhat by the sort of childlike simplicity we have come to associate with Mozart's simple sets of variations. The later movements track through sturdy village dances, weighty hymnal seriousness and rude virtuoso energy. There is much more Schumann in the last movement which sports a conventional 'flashed' ending.


Civilised chamber music partly in the shadow of Schumann and Mendelssohn.

Mit dem Mendelssohn-Schüler Eduard Franck (1817-93) haben die Geigerin Christiane Edinger und das Label Audite eine wahrlich lohnende Quelle entdeckt. Die bereits sechste Franck-CD präsentiert als Ersteinspielung zwei Werke, die unbedingt ins Repertoire gehören. Fast schon Francktypisch zeichnen sich auch das 1. Streichquartett f-moll und das Klavierquintett durch Melodie- und Einfallsreichtum sowie durch atmosphärische Dichte aus. Das Edinger-Quartett mit James Tocco spielt frisch und zupackend. Bleibt zu hoffen, dass man diesen Werken bald auch im Konzertsaal begegnet.